The English Works of Thomas Hobbes, Vol. IV

What it is

This is the fourth volume of a nineteenth-century edition of Thomas Hobbes's collected English writings, edited by Sir William Molesworth and published in 1840. It gathers several of Hobbes's own works, including Human Nature, De Corpore Politico, Of Liberty and Necessity, and his responses to critics such as Bishop Bramhall.

Why it matters

Although printed long after Hobbes's death, the volume reproduces his original texts, giving students direct access to his arguments about the mind, politics, and free will. It also shows how later editors like Molesworth worked to preserve and organise Hobbes's legacy for new readers.

Look closer

• Why might an editor collect a philosopher's scattered writings into one volume centuries later?
• What do the titles of the included works suggest about Hobbes's range of interests?
• How might reading Hobbes's defenses against critics change your view of his reputation in his own time?